As I suspected, they probably used the existing masters of each track as needed and the modified tracks unique to Hits II might have been done by David Richards. And not just the early fade-outs, but the unique edits like "Under Pressure" and "Who Wants To Live Forever."
Interestingly, this brings up another curious point, as there were several different Greatest Hits released in 1981, each with unique track listings. Did Elektra and EMI master their own on each side of the Atlantic? It's not a big deal, and if I had a working record player I'd check, as I own both on the original vinyl (several times over, in fact, plus each on cassette. God bless yard sales!).
And now A Kind Of Magic. I don't have the DMS series version of the album, but I do have Queen Rock, which uses those remasters and contains "One Vision." I DO have the original Capitol Records CD, which features the original digital master, and I have (surprise, surprise) the 1991 Hollywood Records CD re-issue. I also have the tracks from the 2010 Singles Collection.
This was one of my most thorough examinations, as having the 1986 CD gave me an interesting perspective. It was first Queen album, I believe, originally digitally mastered and issued on Compact Disc, so it allowed me to not just compare remasters with each other, but to compare them to the original digital master (which is quite well done, though I think a bit limited by the technology of the time). The evolution of remastering is perhaps the most clearly seen here, as each new generation has an individual sound. The DMS remaster was the least warm to my ear, where the high end and "hissy-ness" on the high end is the most apparent. The HR remaster steps it up from the original and does have a warmer, clear texture.
But, as you'll see in my list, the Singles Collection remasters by our friend PM are a grand slam! The clarity is amazing and the richness is maintained throughout.
01) One Vision (1991 HR)
02) A Kind Of Magic (2010 SC)
03) One Year Of Love (2010 SC)
04) Pain Is So Close To Pleasure (1991 HR)
05) Friends Will Be Friends (2010 SC)
06) Who Wants To Live Forever (1991 HR)
07) Gimme The Prize (2010 SC)
08) Don't Lose Your Head (2010 SC)
09) Princes Of The Universe (2010 SC)
Extra Magical Ingredients:
10) A Kind Of 'A Kind Of Magic' (1986 OM)
11) Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends (1986 OM)
12) Forever (2010 SC)
13) A Dozen Red Roses For My Darling (2010 SC)
14) Blurred Vision (2010 SC)
Very interesting that "A Kind Of 'A Kind of Magic'" and "Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends" sound best on the OM, and that PISCTP, OV, and WWTLF sound best from the HR remaster. I know i said i wished Gimme The Prize and Princes were punchier on the SC... but actually my biggest disappointment from AKOM (the SC versions) was Who Wants To Live Forever. The dynamic range is vast, but it seemed like PM went SO far to make sure it was preserved, he missed the opportunity to kick some life into the track.
To me it seems PM's style has evolved and in the SC versions, overall - he's found a balance between highlighting the richness, warmth, and dynamic diversity of the original masters, and bringing each track "up" to be sonically competitive with the ultra-compressed sound of today's music.
and now, here’s the last set of Peter Mew remaster comparisons – four tracks from The Game…
PLAY THE GAME: more firsts here… the CJ version is the quietest, but actually has a slightly heavier compression on it than the other two. Other than the two verses (which are Freddie and piano in the first lines of each), the rest of the track has been normalized to virtually the same level of about 88-90%. SC and JP 2001 are a little roomier – looks more like limiting than dynamic compression (especially in the first third of the track), and they are the same remaster, though SC is held back a little bit on its peak volume – maybe 94% or so. JP pushes it up to about 99%…
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: CJ starts us off again, but it has some compression on it for sure. It’s not squared off, but the peak levels are even all the way through. SC adds just a bit of dynamic compression to boost the meat of the waveform and shelve off the peak levels a little further. The JP 2001 remaster is again a match of the SC – but boosted to about 98/99%.
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE: is similar to PTG above. The SC and CJ versions have the same peak levels, but the CJ has more compression on it. The JP 2001 is a match to the SC, but again, it’s boosted to nearly the max of the CD’s volume.
SAVE ME: clearly three different remasters here. The CJ version has some limiting on the loudest (chorus) sections, but still plenty of dynamic range. The JP remaster is almost maxed on peak volume, but actually has LESS compression it seems. Here, it appears the SC version is a match to the CJ version, only boosted up to the CD’s max volume…
Full results summary coming soon…
AKOAKOM and FWBFWBF only appear on the original 1986 release of the album in the US and the UK. I have the US copy, but not the UK release, so I don't know if it differs. I have no reason to think they would, as it was a mastered at Town House Studios, London, by Kevin Metcalfe. They probably sent this digital master to all territorites.
This brings up something which has been bugging me in my research. The only 1994 Digital Masters Series tracks I own are from peripheral releases; individual songs which appear not on studio albums, but things like the 1995/1996 MIH singles, Queen Rocks and the Digital Master Sampler promo CD. As such, my knowledge of the DMS is limited. As a result, I have a few questions:
Who remastered the DMS? I'm working on the assumption that Kevin Metcalfe was involved, as his name appears on Queen Rocks, which uses those remasters, and he was well-used at that point in Queen's production team.
Were bonus tracks included on any of the DMS album releases? In the UK and US, the original AKOM and The Miracle albums on CD featured bonus tracks (they were the only original studio album CD releases to do so). Did these or other bonus tracks appear on the DMS releases?
Anyone with a DMS copy of an album, could you please enlighten me?
rhyeking wrote: AKOAKOM and FWBFWBF only appear on the original 1986 release of the album in the US and the UK. I have the US copy, but not the UK release, so I don't know if it differs.
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the JP 2001 remaster of AKOM has both those bonus tracks plus Forever (piano version) as well
Hmm, in that case, those remastered tracks are worth looking at. I don't own the 2001 JLP release. If you own them, perhaps we can compare their relative merits. As I said in my earlier post, that original 1986 digital master is quite good. It really comes down to minor differences between that and the later remasters (minor, but noticable). Given PM's statement that the 2001 remasters are "more intense," I'm curious whether this intensity improves or hinders the dynamic range of these tracks.
JP 2001 remaster of AKOAKOM has some limiting on, but it appears it's mostly effecting the drum peaks throughout. the meat of the waveform is fairly low in relation. FWBFWBF is also tastefully done - just a little compression to even out the loudest sections, but again, lots of dynamic range left intact. As the JP remasters go, these are not extreme at all...
I guess I'll have to find a copy of that and make the comparison.
As promised, a friend was able to provide with the JLP remasters and I've made a minor revision to my AKOM list:
01) One Vision (1991 HR)
02) A Kind Of Magic (2010 SC)
03) One Year Of Love (2010 SC)
04) Pain Is So Close To Pleasure (1991 HR)
05) Friends Will Be Friends (2010 SC)
06) Who Wants To Live Forever (1991 HR)
07) Gimme The Prize (2010 SC)
08) Don't Lose Your Head (2010 SC)
09) Princes Of The Universe (2010 SC)
Extra Magical Ingredients:
10) A Kind Of 'A Kind Of Magic' (2001 JLP)
11) Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends (2001 JLP)
12) Forever (2010 SC)
13) A Dozen Red Roses For My Darling (2010 SC)
14) Blurred Vision (2010 SC)
I have to admit that while this list, for me, represents the best list, I was diggin' the previous list including masters from 3 different decades.
I stand by what I said earlier though, that for the most part, these differences are not extreme, a lot of the re/masters sound really good and are fine on their own. Don't go thinking that because the CD you have isn't represented that it must totally suck. Not so. The differences we're looking at are in many cases a matter of degrees.
Okay, we've covered Queen through to The Miracle.
I'll admit, I'm at a loss for Innuendo and Made In Heaven, since I only own the original releases for both and none of the remasters. However, I do own several alternate remasters of particular songs as they appeared on later releases, such as GH3, Jewels I & II and Queen Rocks. I gave these tracks a good listen and discovered a few interesting things.
"The Show Must Go On," as it appears on Jewels (presumably the 2001 Japan Remaster), does a strange thing at the beginning. After the first few seconds, it sounds like someone quickly turns up the volume. It's a little jarring and is definately not present on any other version of the song.
"Headlong" on Queen Rocks (1994 DMS) sounds very loud and a bit compressed. I think we covered that QR was really ramped up for its release. It shows here compared to the Original 1991 Master
"Therse Are The Days Of Our Lives" which appears on Jewels II (again, probably the 2001 Japan Remaster) has the high-end very dominant and almost tinny in places. The Original Master seems much better balanced.
I suppose this will come down to which release we think is the best. Here's what we have to chose from:
1991 Original Master
1994 Digital Master Series
2001 Japan Remaster Series
Next year I anticipate the Singles Collection Volume 4 will cover "Innuendo," "I'm Going Slightly Mad," "Headlong (Single Version)," "The Show Must Go On" and "These Are The Days Of Our Lives,' which will give us 4 new Peter Mew remasters we can look at for consideration. Similar to the first couple albums, the last few don't give us many choices for alternate masters.
Made In Heaven, released in 1995, has even fewer alternate masters...actually, only one I know of: the 2001 Japan Remaster.
I gave the three tracks which appear on Jewels I & II, "I Was Born To Love You," "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and "Made In Heaven," a comparison listen with the Original Master and found almost no difference (the OM seemed to have more low-end presence, but not by much). That's the best comparison I can offer, but if someone has the 2001 JLP remaster AND the 1995 OM let us know which you think is superior.
again, the 2011 Singles Collection 4 will probably have a few MIH tracks and will allow for a few alternate remasters by PM.
rhyeking wrote:
"The Show Must Go On," as it appears on Jewels (presumably the 2001 Japan Remaster), does a strange thing at the beginning. After the first few seconds, it sounds like someone quickly turns up the volume. It's a little jarring and is definately not present on any other version of the song.
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I can't imagine that Jewels would use anything other than the 2001 JP remasters... but i just popped my JP Innuendo cd in to check out TSMGO, and i've got no discernible volume change anywhere up to Freddie's first vocal. maybe an error... anyone else have Jewels (and a sharp ear) that can verify?
Could be an error exclusive to Jewels, but it IS there. I imagine the engineer or someone thinking, "Crap, it's too quiet!" and raising the volume after the song starts. Probably not what happened, but it sure sounds like it.
The CD it appears on (which *I* have) is the 2006 Japan Tour Edition.
Joe, I fired you a PM (not a Peter Mew, the other kind). Also, which version of Innuendo do you prefer, if you have the OM to compare the 2001 JLP to?
Okay, just when you thought we were finished...well, think again!
We looked at Live Killers, but Queen have had a few live releases in addition to that. So, here we go...
Live Magic:
I own only the original 1987 release, which sounds alright. Does anyone have more than one edition who can make a comparison?
Actually, that's not entirely true. I own Live Magic on LP and CD, both from 1987; original masters. I mentioned in a previous thread that there is something of a myth around this release. The CD claims that certain tracks are the full versions. This is true. HOWEVER, these same tracks are complete on the LP. I bought the LP after the CD, curious what the edits were which the CD sleeve implied were contained on the LP. Turns out, the tracks are all EXACTLY the same. The only difference between the CD and LP is that Freddie's improv with the audience is absent on the LP. That's it!
Known remasters:
1994 Digital Master Series
2001 Japan Digital Remasters
Live At Wembley '86:
The original 1992 master was incomplete, believe it or not. I first noticed the discrepency watching the VHS release (also incomplete). "Tutti Frutti" on the original release is editted for some odd reason. The reprise at the end is absent. The VHS features the complete version (of that song, but is missing about half the rest of the concert...oh well).
The 2003 re-issue and remaster features the complete concert and sounds much cleaner to me. My vote is that the 2003 remaster is the current best version (and you get a few bonus tracks; always a treat).
Known remasters:
1994 Digital Master Series
2001 Japan Digital Remasters
2003 "Live At Wembley" Remaster
Queen At The Beeb/Queen At The BBC:
In the UK, this was released in 1989 on Band Of Joy Records, as Queen At The Beeb, and some could argue against it's inclusion in the Queen pantheon of original releases. In 1995, Hollywood Records released it's own version (same tracks), remastered, titled Queen At The BBC. To US listeners it was a legit, official release (before you argue, remember that the UK got Live Magic and the US didn't! Should the US audiences still consider LM a full member? Answer: they're both legit...deal with it!)
So, what's to say about these? I own Queen At The Beeb, the 1989 UK release. I bought it 1993 or 1994, before the HR re-issue. When 1995 saw the US release, I looked at it and said, "Hmm, I've got this already" and being a poor university student, I didn't buy it. So, I can't say how the 1995 remasters stand up. I CAN say that for some tracks, the remasters don't end there. Observe...
01) My Fairy King (1996 EMI Remaster)*
02) Keep Yourself Alive (1998 CJ)**
03) Doing Alright (1996 EMI)*
04) Liar (1996 EMI)*
05) Ogre Battle (1989 OM)
06) Great King Rat (1989 OM)
07) Modern Times Rock And Roll (1989 OM)
08) Son And Daughter (1989 OM)
bonus track:
09) We Will Rock You (Fast Version) (2002 Sun Promo Master)***
* These three tracks appeared on the 1996 "Let Me Live" CD single #1, but as Queen At The Beeb, to my knowledge, was NOT part of the Digital Master Series in 1994 in the UK, these must be unique remasters (or unique Original Masters, if you insist Band Of Joy Records' master isn't official enough).
** Curiously, like the Long Lost Re-take of KYA, the 1st Session BBC Version of KYA was remastered by the mighty Peter Mew exclusively for the Crown Jewels Promo Sampler CD single. So, that entire session saw a full remaster over two different points (OR, is it possible that PM did the entire session [or the entire album?] either for the then-forthcoming Crown Jewels boxed set or for another reason?) . Either way, two single releases, each on opposite sides of the Atlantic, gave us a few alternate remasters after the Hollywood Records one.
*** Yup, just to make your brain hurt a bit more, this counts too. The infamous "We Will Rock You" Sun Promo CD single from 2002 features the only other official release of a BBC track (technically half the track, as the first half [the "stomp, stomp, clap" portion] is absent, but as the full version [like the full version of "Ogre Battle"] has not seen an official release, we're left to deal with what we have here). It's mentioned here as a bonus track, so don't sweat if you don't feel like including it, as it wasn't part of the original release.
Known (re)masters:
1989 Original Master (Band Of Joy Records)
1995 Hollywood Records
1996 EMI Remaster (MFK, DA & Liar)
1998 Crown Jewels Remaster (KYA)
2002 Sun Promo Master (WWRY)
And you thought we were past the interesting parts! Shame on you! :-)
just a quick addition to my SHA remaster analysis...
(from my previous post on the PM remastered tracks Killer Queen / Now I'm Here from SHA):
"...the version that appears to be closest to the dynamic range of the original master is the CJ 1998 version. Not a weak specimen by any stretch (its peak levels are right around 90% of the loudness capable on the CD). Next is the Singles Collection version, which so far has been the MOST compressed of these tracks in question. with KQ, it appears the peak level is unchanged, but the dynamic range has been normalized a little bit. The quietest parts have been "brought forward" to even out / compress the track. And the most effected version of the three is the 2001 JP remaster, which in relation to the Singles Collection version adds overall dynamic compression for even more sonic normalization throughout the track, as well as a slight boost in overall peak volume.
NIH: CJ 1998 comes in the mildest once again, with the peaks hitting around 85+%. Next is the 2001 JP remaster, with just a little peak volume boost, and a subtle amount of dynamic compression. Again looks like about a 10% increase in level and a good boost in even volume density throughout. The SC version is virtually IDENTICAL to the 2001 JP remaster."
having now obtained an original 1974 vinyl rip of SHA's side A, I did an analysis of that versus the previous remasters. Crown Jewels, as it turns out, is not anywhere close to being an accurate representation of the original master. Even as mild as it is in comparison to the later PM jobs with JP 2001 and SC, it's QUITE compressed in relation to the vinyl rip. I was pretty stunned to see what a huge difference there is. Certainly the balance within the mix, the EQ, presence, etc. are sonically very different to the ears.
I listened to the vinyl rip on my stereo, and though the clarity was very good, it definitely didn't have the richness or even warmth that the MFSL versions of NOTW and ADATR have. The sound was a little thin to my ears overall, and i found myself wishing for greater bass presence and punch. SHA has always been one of Queen's most raw recordings to me, so some of the lack may just have been the nature of these tracks.
Anyway - many thanks to my friend for the work of getting it to me for review. very interesting to see just how drastically remastering can change a song from it's original form. by the time you get to an extreme compression like AG has, you're basically putting a track on steroids.
